The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air debuted in 1991 with Will Smith in the lead role and DJ Jazzy Jeff as his side-kick “Jazz.” The sitcom ran for six seasons, ultimately becoming a staple in both hip-hop and the household. Now, twenty-six years after its final episode, the show got a reboot but in the most unique way.
On Feb. 13th, Peacock premiered the first episode of Bel-Air, a drama based on the lives of the Will, Jazz, and the Banks family. Starring Jabari Banks as Will, the show follows his journey from the gritty streets of Philly to donning a Bel-Air basketball jersey. Bel-Air leans less on comedic interactions like the original and more on current socio-political issues to bring a new feel to the show.
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Only four episodes in, the show has garnered much attention from The Fresh Prince fans. In a recent interview with HipHopDX, DJ Jazzy Jeff talked about the new series and applauded the executive producer, Will Smith, on the show. “I wasn’t involved in the making [of the show], but I am one of the hosts of the official Bel Air Podcast that’s coming out. I am super-duper excited because, without giving any spoilers, if someone was to take The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the ‘90s and move it to ‘20 to ‘22 and put a dramatic spin on it, I don’t think they could have done a better job,” he said. “I think more people are going to be talking about Bel-Air than the Super Bowl. It is that good. If I take myself out of it, this is mind-blowing. This might be my favorite show ever.”
The Bel-Air: Official Podcast kicked off on Feb.14th with DJ Jazzy Jeff and co-host Aida Osman. For the premiere episode, they spoke to Bel-Air director and executive producer Morgan Cooper, composers Terrace Martin and Robert Glasper, and co-showrunner Rasheed Newson.
New episodes of Bel-Air are available every Thursday on Peacock.
[Via]